Bio
Celeste Bean is a Senior Hardware Engineer on Sony PlayStation’s Research & Development team, leading projects related to novel human-computer interaction and digital media. She leads projects such as machine learning for real-time speech-to-text translation using large language models, hardware concepts like video game controllers users can draw or speak to, and initiatives to improve the accessibility of the PlayStation ecosystem for people with disabilities.
Celeste is also a passionate advocate for diversity in tech, which includes leading Women@PlayStation’s professional development group and running patent workshops for members as well as volunteering with organizations dedicated to equitable development through grant writing and pro bono consulting.
Previous employers include Benchmark Electronics, the National Renewable Energy Lab, and Los Alamos National Lab, and her education includes a BS in Computer Engineering from UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), an MS in Electrical Engineering from UCSB, and an MA in International Security Studies from the University of Arizona.
Personal Information
- Name : Celeste Bean
- Languages : English (native), French (conversational), Spanish (beginner)
- Current Title : Senior Hardware Engineer, PlayStation
10
Years of
Experience
5
Hackathons
Won
50 +
Patents
Filed
35 +
Countries
Visited
Timeline
The short version: I’ve worked as a Senior Hardware Engineer at PlayStation, as a self-employed Expert Consultant, as an Electrical Engineer at Benchmark Electronics, as a Graduate Student Teaching Assistant at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), as a Power Systems Engineering Researcher at the National Renewable Energy Labs, as Team Leader for UCSB’s Hyperloop Team, as a Smart Grid Metering Software at Tenon Intersystems, as a Notetaker/Proctor for the UCSB Disabled Students Program, as a Quantum Institute Security Intern at Los Alamos National Laboratory, as an Operations Coordinator for UCSB’s Student IT department, as a Theoretical Biophysics Intern at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and as a Lifeguard/Swim Instructor for the local Culver City pool.
For my education, I am starting as an MBA candidate at Stanford University in Fall 2024, and I completed a Masters in International Security Studies from the University of Arizona, a Masters in Electrical Engineering from UCSB, and a Bachelors in Computer Engineering from UCSB.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
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2022 - Present
Senior Hardware Engineer PlayStation
- Spearheaded the development of speech-based interaction design using Transformer-based architectures.
- Led AR/VR peripheral advancements.
- Drove hardware and firmware development for democratizing hardware innovation.- Achieved multiple recognitions including winning prizes in 5/5 internal Hackathons among 200+ teams.
- Filed 50+ patents and led 7+ patent workshops.
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2021 - Present
Expert Consultant Self-Employed
- Offer consultations on printed circuit board design, consumer electronics lifecycles, VR/AR peripherals, video game design considerations, and semiconductor industry trends.
Reach out on LinkedIn if you are interested in working together.
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2021 - 2022
Hardware Engineer PlayStation
- Architect, design, deliver, bring up, and iterate on PCBs in OrCad Capture.
- Establish team-wide process for schematic review, reducing errors and improving yields.
- Create and evaluate audio system architectures based on power consumption, wireless performance, and audio quality and deliver results in a concise format to key stakeholders. Tools include HATS setup and standard lab equipment like power supplies, DMMs, oscilloscopes, audio analyzers, etc.
- Filed 4 patents.
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2018 - 2021
Electrical Engineer Benchmark Electronics
- Design and deliver schematics and printed circuit boards in Altium, for products ranging from sensitive battery management with emphasis on impedance characteristics to Apple MFi-compliant consumer electronics to electrical vehicle charging.
- Architect and prototype front-end audio solutions for military applications, including writing embedded C code for I2C, SPI, and CAN serial protocols.
- Analyze clients' high-power battery pack design for safety, identify improvements, and deliver changes in architecture to improve power delivery and longevity.
- Lead debugging effort of a highly complex HV/LV project for a critical client.
- Design, source, deliver, and test an anechoic BLE testing apparatus for use in high-noise manufacturing settings in 2 weeks for critical client.
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2016 - 2018
Graduate Student Teaching Assistant University of California, Santa Barbara
- Chosen by student to receive Outstanding TA Award and financial reward for 2/2 years of teaching.
- Taught senior undergraduate students to design, build, and interface a custom printed circuit board to meet sponsors’ specifications over the course of a year-long project.
- Supervised and assisted in embedded C and real-time project development on a variety of microcontrollers and FPGAs.
- Led lab sections on topics involving microcontrollers, sensors, and peripheral interfaces to over 70 students.
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2017
Power Systems Engineering Researcher National Renewable Energy Lab
- Designed, modeled, and simulated microinverters to incorporate battery storage management and to impose primary and secondary control of frequency and voltage using MATLAB and Simulink.
Associated with MS in Electrical Engineering thesis.
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2015 - 2017
UCSB Hyperloop Team Leader University of California, Santa Barbara
- Chosen as one of 30/1200 original applicants in SpaceX's international Pod Competition to create functioning prototype of magnetic levitating transportation system.
- Led 30 interdisciplinary students, coordinated with 15+ sponsors, and secured/managed $105k budget.
- Designed a 430-component printed circuit board with two microcontrollers to interface with an array of sensors.
- Incorporated telemetry into navigation, braking, and stability control systems using embedded C.
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2016
Smart Grid Metering Software Engineer Tenon Intersystems
- Restructured SNMP and JSON interfacing and parsing to support updated and legacy software.
- Developed multiple tools in C to query existing hardware.
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2013 - 2016
Notetaker/Proctor University of California, Santa Barbara
- Took notes and proctored exams to support students with disabilities.
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2015
Quantum Institute Security Intern Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Implemented Galois/Counter Mode cryptography scheme in LabView for advancement of the national Smart Grid.
- Interfaced code with existing laboratory systems used for Quantum Key Distribution.
- Acted as Verilog intermediary between physicists and computer scientists.
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2013 - 2014
Operations Coordinator University of California, Santa Barbara
- Managed team of thirty student employees.
- Organized all-day training sessions for new hires.
- Oversaw inventory and ensured dispersal of supplies in twenty classrooms and three printing labs.
- Led instructional workshops on various softwares (Matlab, Microsoft Office, etc.) for the public.
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2014
Theoretical Biophysics Intern Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Selected as a Department of Energy Science Undergraduate Laboratory Intern
- Developed automated protocol for creating atomic-resolution models for antibiotic resistance research.
- Curated and researched website about multidrug-resistant bacteria for LANL community reference.
- Delivered poster and oral presentations for review by the DOE and the LANL community.
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2011 - 2012
Lifeguard/Swim Instructor City of Culver City
- Hung out at a pool all summer and splashed around!
EDUCATION & VOLUNTEERING
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2024 - 2026
Masters in Business Administration Stanford University
Incoming MBA candidate in Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.
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2019 - 2021
Masters in International Security Studies University of Arizona
Completed a graduate degree while working full-time. Strong emphasis on energy and internet access as a vector for development and empowerment.
Classes included Politics of Cybersecurity, Politics of Energy Security in Eurasia, International Relations of East Asia, Dynamics of Civil Wars, International Relations of Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Politics of Natural Resources, and The Intelligence Community and Intelligence in Policy.
More information and writing samples are available in my portfolio.
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2016 - 2018
Masters in Electrical Engineering University of California, Santa Barbara
Focused on control theory, robotics, and printed circuit board design. Awarded stipend as teaching assistant and conducted research at the National Renewable Energy Lab.
Thesis Link: Virtual Oscillator Controlled (VOC) Inverters in a Microgrid Setting with Secondary Control and Energy Storage
Contributions:
- Design, analyze, and simulate a standalone inverter-based microgrid composed of variable renewable energy sources and battery storage.
- VOC for inverters relies on local voltage and frequency measurements to allow for proportional loading and voltage/frequency synchronization, presenting a real-time decentralized control strategy that mimics droop control characteristics.
- Operate inverters in a variety of complex settings: in parallel, under fluctuating loads, and under noisy loads.
- Adapt, derive, and simulate low-bandwidth communication in the form distributed averaging proportional integral (DAPI) control for a VOC-based microgrid.
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2012 - 2016
Bachelors in Computer Engineering University of California, Santa Barbara
Graduated with honors after maintaining honors status for 12/12 quarters. Emphasis in Control Theory and Signal Processing for robotic and control system applications.
Senior project: led UCSB's Hyperloop team for the inaugural SpaceX competition.
Relevant courses (both BS and MS):
- Embedded System Development
- Dynamics and Kinetics of Robotics
- Advanced Control Theory
- Linear Systems
- Nonlinear Systems
- Sensor and Peripheral Integration
- Analog and Digital Signal Processing
- Advanced Game Theory
- Operating Systems
- Cryptography
- Cybersecurity
Patents
I have filed over 50 patents, with 25+ granted (at time of writing). The topics range from hardware inputs for digital systems to novel machine learning process architectures to mechanisms for adapting audio signals into haptic information.